The Night Before
by boots-7
Summary: “Aishiteru, Sesshomaru,” Kagome whispered to the starry night sky as she stood from her sitting place, and began her trek home. Unbeknownst to her a certain star up in the sky suddenly shone brighter than any other. [S x K] [X Mas One Shot]


"Sometimes, Kagome, the things we want most for Christmas, are the things we can't have." – Sesshomaru.

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**The Night Before**

**_One Shot_**

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It was snowing.

Kagome gazed up at the sky in wonder. Her blue eyes grew misty with the tears that always threatened to fall. It had been exactly over a year ago today…

"…To the day he left." she whispered brokenly.

**&**

_It was Christmas Eve; a time to rejoice and spend with loved ones. The Christmas lights decorating Tokyo were magnificent as was the snow which blanketed the ground. It was that special time of year again._

_Kagome smiled as she looked to the lights. Her attention so focused solely on those lights that she failed to see the person she accidentally walked into._

_"Oh, I am so sorry! I guess I got distracted by the Christmas lights," Kagome apologized coyly._

_The person who'd she had run into turned around. "Christmas lights…? What are they?"_

_Kagome blushed upon seeing the person. It was a man. An incredibly handsome man! She grew nervous but managed to mostly control her stuttering. "Th-They are d-decorations. Things wh-which are p-put up to c-celebrate Christmas."_

_"Oh…"_

_Kagome pulled herself up from the ground and offered a hand to the strange but handsome man._

_The man upon seeing Kagome's hand stared at it curiously. "Why are you holding out your hand?"_

_Raising an eyebrow, Kagome explained. "It's because I want to help you up. You're meant to grab my hand while I pull till you are standing again."_

_"Hn." The strange man grunted before doing as told. He took Kagome's hand, which he couldn't help but notice was remarkably smaller than his own, as she pulled him back onto his feet._

_"Thank you," He said softly._

_Kagome smiled gently. "You're welcome." She then went to remove her hand shyly from his but found his grip not loosening. Gazing at their intertwined hands then back up to the man, Kagome spoke, "Um… You're supposed to let go of the person's hand after they have helped you up."_

_"Why?" The question was asked out of pure curiosity._

_Kagome blushed again. The rosiness in her cheeks, thought much to the strange man's surprise, made her all the more beautiful to look at. "W-Well, um… It's just what people do, I guess… unless of course they are friends, family or in love."_

_"'In love…?'" The man repeated with an odd look in his eye. "Is that a strong feeling?"_

_"You betcha'!" Kagome grinned. "It's the strongest feeling there is! It makes people do all kinds of weird stuff so that they can ensure the safety of their most treasured one."_

_"Oh… Do you think then, you could be my 'friend'? Since I don't know what it's like to be in love or have a family. Could you please spend tonight with me, showing me more of this Christmas you celebrate?" asked the man eagerly, the emotion so bright it showed in his golden eyes._

_Kagome blinked before smiling gently again. Something deep within her told her that this strange man meant no harm, and she could trust him, so why not?_

_"Sure."_

_The man's lips twitched as he tried to copy Kagome's facial expression. It started off as a small movement of his mouth until slowly, his lips managed to successfully copy it. "Thank you." He said once again._

**&**

Kagome took a sip of her newly purchased hot chocolate. Her feet slowly leading her to the place she had last seen him. While her mind, continued to reflect back on the memory of last year's Christmas Eve…

**&**

_"Did you enjoy it?" Kagome asked._

_The strange man turned to look at her as he scrunched up his plastic hot chocolate cup. "Yes, I did."_

_"I'm glad. Hot chocolate happens to be my favorite drink at Christmas time. Though I know it seems childish since a lot of my friends say I should be drinking eggnog instead." She chuckled._

_The man tilted his head sideways. A pose which Kagome secretly liked to call: 'the puppy dog pose'._

_"Why?"_

_"Huh? Ugh—I mean um, pardon?" Kagome asked._

_"Why do they say you should be drinking eggnog instead?" The man elaborated._

_"Well I guess it's because it's an alcoholic Christmas drink and because people aren't allowed it till they are twenty."_

_"'Alcoholic…? Is this alcoholic, a good drink?"_

_"Mm…" Kagome pondered before answering. "I guess that depends on the person and situation. For example, my friend, Eri, loves alcohol and will drink it in times of celebration like Christmas, but my other friend, Yuka, hates it and won't drink any because she fears it might make her act silly."_

_The man nodded. He knew some of the bad side-effects the drink had on people, though he hadn't been able to recall the name of the specific drink. It seemed like this alcohol definitely fit the picture._

_"Do you like alcohol?" he asked, curiously._

_"Not really."_

_"Why?"_

_Kagome chuckled. "I think the word 'why' is becoming your favorite word to use. Um… I guess I don't like it much because it reminds me of what happened to my dad, so it makes me sad. He was killed by a drunk driver."_

_"I'm sorry," the man said sincerely._

_"It's ok. It happened a long time ago. Besides, I only need to think of my dad being in a better place now, and it cheers me right up! See?" Kagome was smiling again._

_The man lifted his other hand and placed it on Kagome's cheek, gently caressing it. "I'm glad. You look much prettier when you smile," he said softly, his golden eyes half-lidded._

_Kagome blushed at the contact and from the way he was looking at her. "Thank you," she whispered, bowing her head in shyness._

_The man smiled and dropped his hand to his side. "You're welcome."_

**&**

Kagome sat on the park bench. Her empty cup of hot chocolate placed beside her as she gazed up at the stars with a sad, longing look in her eyes.

**&**

_"Wow…! It's hard to believe it's nearly midnight already!" Kagome exclaimed as she looked down at her watch. It read: 11:45pm._

_The man walking beside Kagome suddenly stopped. "Is it really nearly midnight?" he whispered quietly._

_"Yes it is," Kagome replied while turning to look at the man. Wondering why he suddenly stopped walking. "Is… there something wrong with that?" she asked hesitantly._

_The man shrugged and lifted his head to gaze up at the stars. "Not really. I just have to leave at midnight."_

_"Huh? But why—! I mean, um… Why? I thought we were having a nice time, enjoying each others company," Kagome said sadly._

_Shifting his head to look at her, the man smiled. "We are."_

_"Then… Why do you have to leave at midnight? Why not stay a little while longer with me?"_

_The man's smile turned sorrowful. He let go of Kagome's tiny hand and suddenly, pulled her into an embrace. His arms wound tightly around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Sometimes, Kagome, the things we want most for Christmas, are the things we can't have."_

_Blushing, happy, shocked, sad and confused all at once, Kagome swallowed and in return, wrapped her arms around the strange man. "You said my name…"_

___"Yes," he replied._

___"…but I never told you it. So how could you know?"_

___At this, the man continued to smile and tilting his head a little, replied softly into her ear. "Merry Christmas, Kagome." He then moved his head back and leant in, capturing Kagome's lips with his own in a sweet kiss._

___Kagome's eyes widened, transfixed by the sight of the strange man kissing her as he slowly began to glow and fade away. Tears built up and rolled down her cheeks. Kagome shut her eyes and kissed him back for all she was worth…_

___Somehow knowing this is goodbye._

___The kiss was suddenly broken by the man as he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you for showing me everything you could tonight, Kagome," he murmured huskily. "Thank you… for letting me, spend time with you."_

___"Please… don't go." Kagome whispered brokenly. She did not know why, but somehow during the course of only one night, this strange man had somehow managed to wiggle his way into her heart. "Please."_

___"I'm sorry, but I can't. My time is up, so I will share with you something just as you have with me tonight," the man replied softly. "My name is Sesshomaru, and Kagome… Aishiteru."_

___It was in that moment, shortly after he had spoken those words that he fully disappeared, leaving Kagome to stand alone in the snow just as the second-hand on her watch hit the twelve._

___Christmas had begun._

**&**

"Aishiteru, Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered to the starry night sky as she stood from her sitting place, and began her trek home. Unbeknownst to her a certain star up in the sky suddenly shone brighter than any other.

___'Aishiteru, Kagome… and Merry Christmas.'_

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**_fin_**

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___**A/N:** I remember writing this last year. Aw, it was so cute and fluffy! (Squeals) I hope you all liked it :)_


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